Britain's filling up with population set to hit more than 70 million by 2030

Last updated at 00:56 24 October 2007

• By 2016 400,000 more pensioners than children

• Increased immigration also linked to population rise

• 8 percent rise in England; only 3 per cent in Scotland

Britain's population will soar to at least 71 million within the next 25 years, according to a major revision of official forecasts.

Whitehall was forced to come clean about the scale of the population boom yesterday and admitted that it has been giving out estimates that are far too low.

Officials scrapped predictions that are only three years old and replaced them with new projections that say ten million more will be living here in 25 years time.

They said immigration will be much higher than the Government has previously admitted and that immigrants and their children will make up seven out of ten of the extra population.

The rejigged figures add an extra 1.7million to population expectations for 2016, nine years from now.

These now say that the number of people in the country will grow by 4.4million to 65million by 2016, a growth rate of nearly 500,000 a year.

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By 2031, there will be ten million more in the country, the Government's Office for National Statistics said.

That means that instead of going up by six and a half million to 67million - the estimate the Government gave as recently as 2004 - a further four million must be added to make 71million people in the country in 2031.

Numbers could be two million higher still if immigration remains at record levels, officials said.

Migrants and their children are now expected to add the equivalent of a city the size of London to the country over the next 25 years.

The admission from the ONS follows startling predictions of huge population increases given to MPs by leading academics last week.

Professor Robert Rowthorn and Professor David Coleman said that additional millions would mean an enormous strain on schools, hospitals, and public services.

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The Government, which has run what critics say is an 'open door' immigration policy for a decade, promised that there will be curbs.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said: "These projections show what could happen unless we take action now.

"Frankly they underline the need for swift and sweeping changes to the immigration system in the next 12 months, which will include the introduction of an Australian-style points based system, so only those that

Britain needs can come to work and study."

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "Tough talk from ministers is not enough. They should take action to put controls on numbers coming to the UK, which Conservatives have been demanding for more than a year."

The new figures were an endorsement for the work of the MigrationWatch think tank. It has consistently proved far more accurate in its assessment of immigration levels than the Office for National Statistics or the Home Office.

Its chief Sir Andrew Green said yesterday: "These figures are hugely important. They imply that the nature of British society will irrevocably and permanently be changed for our children and grandchildren.

"These fundamental changes are taking place without the public having a voice."

He added: "This huge population increase - equivalent to twice the population of Greater London by mid-century - is largely due to immigration.

'This massive increase is avoidable if action is taken now to limit numbers. Otherwise the consequences for our society will be very serious indeed."

Living longer

Life expectancy will be around five years more for both men and women within a generation, according to the new estimates.

A boy born last year would on average live 77.2 years, but a boy born in 25 years' time will expect to live for 82.7 years - longer than a woman does now.

For women, life expectancy will go up from 81.5 years in 2006 to 86.2 in 2031.

Increasing lifespans are a result of better health, better food and conditions, and greater wealth.

More babies

The number of children born in Britain every year is set to rise again mainly as a result of immigration, the ONS analysis showed.

The average number of children born to each woman has been falling since the 1980s as educated women delay marriage and family in favour of careers.

ONS analysts say the trend is now up. They say that while there is evidence of more births among people born in Britain, the increase is driven by higher fertility among immigrants.